Life's what you make it
by Pierced Eyelids
Summary: Iroh has agreed to teach Aang fire bending and Zuko is stuck tagging along. Katara has two hurt ankles and when Zuko is left alone with her one night will sparks fly? Pasts, secrets and true feelings will be revealed... Zutara
1. First Kiss

_Chapter 1_

_**First Kiss**_

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**Bold are Zuko's thoughts. **Underlined is me talking!

Summery: Iroh has agreed to teach Aang fire bending and Zuko is stuck tagging along. Katara has two hurt ankles and when Zuko is left alone with her one night will sparks fly? Past, secrets and true feelings will be revealed.

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**I can't believe that I agreed to this. I can't believe I agreed to go with my Uncle while he trained the avatar. I hate the way he can get me to do anything he believes is right…but even above that, I can't believe he was right about my father, my father really never did love me. Why doesn't he love me? What did I do? ****I suppose that I shouldn't wallow in my self-pity. Uncle did ask me to help and I do owe him alot, I owe him my life if I think about it. He was the only one who stood by me. I should try to make the best of it. We've been with them for two weeks and I've already gotten closer to Katara, she doesn't really trust me yet but I understand why.**

As he looked over to Katara, who was sipping tea with Iroh, he noticed the grace she held in her stance, it was simple enough, simply sitting with her back straight with her legs tucked neatly beside her, but she held a certain grace even with hurt legs. When Iroh told her a lame joke she would giggle politely to please him. **I've never seen anyone do that-well no one besides her…normally they would just smile and hope that Uncle would catch onto how shitty his jokes were. But she's different; she's actually enjoying her conversation with-wait a minute! Why am I talking like this? I sound like baldy! I'm starting to sound as if I am in love with her or something.**

Without Zuko realizing it he was staring at Katara, she blushed lightly and he mentally slapped himself. When Appa landed, he was the first to jump off, lending a hand to his Uncle, knowing that he had a bad back. Sokka simply jumped down as well as Aang, Zuko stayed back as they hurried off to make camp. He jumped back onto Appa's back and picked Katara up bridal-style, jumping down once more and carrying her over to camp. She tried her hardest to hold back a blush but with a handsome ex-prince carrying her as if she was the greatest treasure he had ever known.

He sat down by the sticks that Aang had been gathering and attempting to light with a simple fire bending move Iroh had taught him. Zuko laughed lightly as he laid Katara in his lap and lent Aang a hand breathing fire onto the sticks. Causing Aang to jump back in surprise and Sokka to burst into tears at the younger boys predicament, Katara also started into a quiet giggle fit but Iroh to scorn Zuko.

"Why did you not let the boy light it himself-he almost had it," Iroh said to Zuko.

"By the time he got the fire started I would be an old man. I did not want to wait fifty years to get a hot meal. Teach him a different stance, the one you showed him before is a little to hard remember how long it to me to understand?" Iroh nodded for once his nephew was right, he looked at Aang and told him that he'd be taught a diffrent stance tomarrow for now he needed to find more water. Aang and Toph went off to find food, while Sokka went to find more fire wood. Zuko was absently stroking Katara's hair and she snuggled into his chest, blushing, when he finally realized that he was running his fingers through her silky brown hair when she sighed softly. "Sorry. I did not realize what I was doing…"

"It's okay. It felt nice…" She looked up at Zuko, who smiled softly at her. She could feel his hot breath on her lips when he began stroking her hair again; his eyes seemed to soften as she searched them, trying to find something that no one else knew. Finally she asked him, "Why did you let me lay in your arms instead of putting me on the ground as you normally do?"

"I…I don't know. Something inside me didn't want to put you down." Katara shivered, the cold getting to her, Zuko put his arms around her and used his fire bending to warm his hands and body more, so that Katara would be warmer. "How are you're legs?"

"They're fine. They hurt a little bit but it's nothing as bad as it was." Thinking of the pain she felt three days ago she subconsciously wiggled in to Zuko's lap more, causing him to suppress a moan, Zuko blushed lightly and Katara noticed how close they're lips were. "Zuko…is it okay if I ask something of you?"

"Yes. Go ahead." He whispered back to her as one of his hands made it's way up the back of her top, touching her soft skin. She gasped lightly at the sensation of warm hands on her cool skin. She blushed she had began to have feelings for him when they were in the cave, she felt betrayed by him when he went with Azula but the understood why. Azula told people what she needed to to get them to do what she wanted. And ever since Iroh had told her that she wanted to feel his lips agianst hers.

"Would you…well would you-kiss me?" He didn't need to be told twice, he pressed his lips against hers, his tongue running across her bottom lip, entering her sweet cavern and fighting her own tongue for dominance. After a few minutes of this and Zuko resisting the urge to rip off all of her clothes and ravish her beautiful body until someone pulled them off each other, he pulled back. Katara thought it was her fault; she had opened his shirt and said shamefully, "Sorry…I suppose I got carried away."

"No…no you didn't, trust me I wish I could be doing unholy things to you right now," Katara blushed and Zuko smiled, "But I don't understand why…"

"Why I wanted you to kiss me?"

He nodded and looked down at her disheveled clothes, her jacket was already off, her skirt unbuttoned and her shirt opened. Katara looked at him and smiled, "Who wouldn't want to kiss a sexy banished prince?"

That was all he needed to hear, with that he went back to kissing her unaware of the fact that Sokka was on his way back with arm loads of fire wood.

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This was origanally going to be a oneshot but I got some nice reviews and because of that I decided to continue it to see where it goes.

Ciao!


	2. Appa's feeding time

**Disclaimer:** Okay I don't own Avatar: The Last Air bender. I don't own the names, I don't own bending. If I owned Avatar I wouldn't be writing this, _**IT WOULD BE ON THE SHOW! And in the books!**_ I do own the story line and because I actually got some good critiques I decided to continue writing. 

Sokka was on his way back with arm loads of fire wood when he looked by the fire and saw the stupid banished prince making moves on his sister. Sokka tried to hold back as much as he could, he knew his sister would kill him for ruining another kiss. He hadn't really liked Jet, he wasn't really trusting of him, and at least he knew that he didn't like Zuko-Jet he was unsure of. He decided to approach and ruin the kiss anyway as he heard Aang and Toph coming closer with food.

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_Flashback_

"_Why do we have to bring Sparky along?" asked Toph as she leaned her back against Appa._

"_Because, that was either going to make or break the deal. If we didn't agree to take him along Iroh wouldn't teach me how to fire bend and he's one of the best! He taught Azula _((I don't know if that is actually true but it is in this story))_ and look at how powerful she is, look at how strong Zuko is. He can tell me his brother's weaknesses, help me beat him! Iroh's really nice too and-"_

_"CAN COOK!" Sokka said as he jumped up with a half eaten fish hanging out of his mouth, he was drooling and Katara found it repulsive, without even realizing it she made an extremely disgusted face that caused Zuko and Iroh to crack up laughing, which was odd because Zuko was trying his best to be on the defensive._

_"Well at least he's opening up to you a little however involuntary it may be." Iroh said knowingly after he had laughed his fill, Katara looked over at Zuko who was trying to hold down his lunch as Sokka finished the fish that was hanging out of his mouth. Katara tried her best to hold back a giggle, Zuko looked up as he heard it. She blushed and Zuko smiled lightly, yes he did like the pretty water bender, but didn't think that he had a chance. Katara lightly smiled at him but as she was about to turn to give some food to Appa her foot got stuck in a little ditch, try as she might to get it out it simply continued to get more and more stuck._

_"Hey, Sugar Queen, stop moving, your leg is in a sinkhole." Toph said. With that Katara winced a bit; she felt a pulling sensation and a small pop. "You're going to hurt your ankle if you don't let me help!"_

_Katara stopped moving, Toph bended the earth so that it would let go of her. As soon as it was done Katara winced, she knew how to heal cuts and bruises but bones were beyond her. She would have to let it heal on it's own and she was reluctant to admit it. Trying to be tough she stood up and continued to bring the heavy food to Appa. Tripping over his humongous paw and falling flat on her face Katara knew that even though she only pulled her ankle with the sinkhole, she had broken both her ankles when she tripped. Holding back tears as best she could, Zuko got up while the others were trying to figure out what to do, picked her up and brought her to the stream that they were camping next to and took her hurt ankles out of her boots. "Uncle. I think her ankles are broken."_

_"It's no big problem, she can fix them herself can't she?" Aang asked trying his best not to sound worried._

_"I doubt it, I knew some very skilled healers in my day, even they had to train for very long periods of time to be able to mend bones. Katara will most likely have to wait for her bones to heal on they're own." Iroh said sadly however, he added quickly; "This is not to say Katara is a mediocre healer, simply to say that this kind of thing is complicated. I'm not sure she would want to chance it. Zuko knows how to set bones, he was taught by his mother. Just let him help her. Hold Katara's hand someone, this may hurt her a bit."_

_After Iroh had finished speaking, Zuko already had both of her hurt ankles in the water, cooling them as he had ripped his own shirt sleeves for bandage. Aang took Katara's hand in his, she looked at him nervously, and he faked a sure smile at her. Zuko pushed and prodded at her sore ankles almost expertly, Sokka looked on in awe as Zuko had finished wrapping her ankles._

_"Stay off of them, you shouldn't walk for a few weeks and then you should take it slowly. Have Aang, Uncle, your brother or me carry you where you wish to go. Keep them elevated and put ice on it when available." Zuko finished._

_"Nephew, you would truly help Katara?" Iroh sounded surprised at Zuko's offer. Zuko nodded, Aang bended a small amount of water into ice, Zuko picked up the small piece of ice and wrapped it in what was left of his sleeves and put it on Katara's right ankle, figuring since she hurt that one twice in less than half an hour it would hurt more._

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Sokka walked forward, anger rushing through his veins. At this moment he realized who it was that was kissing his sister and he was going to die for touching her. Sokka didn't realize that Aang and Toph had stopped walking when Toph had sensed the passion by the fire and didn't want to disturb whoever it was.

Sokka stomped forward angrily. "HEY! Don't touch my sister!"

Zuko almost jumped out of his skin, he didn't realize that Katara's brother was watching them kiss, he pulled away, however reluctant it was. He looked down at Katara affection in his eyes, he stood up with Katara in his eys and laid her on her sleeping mat. She didn't want to let go of him, he pleaded with her through his eyes. He didn't want to cause problems, he caused enough already. She leaned up to softly kiss his lips, but he pulled back and stood straght up before she could turning and walking towards the woods. Sokka yelling at him the entire time, about how he was a freak, that his own father didn't want him and all these other things.

Zuko turned around when he had heard a comment about his mother, his hands were surounded by fire, he backflipped over the fire landing right in front of Sokka, who 'eep'-ed, Toph and Aang both tried to hold Zuko back using they're bending. But the anger of the banished prince was to strong and overpowered them quickly sending both of them flying backwards. Iroh appeared, walking as quickly as he could with two buckets and three pouches full of water, being careful not to spill any, he called out to Zuko, "Nephew! Please!"

Zuko looked over, he had on firery hand choking Sokka, Iroh put down all of the water, walked over and put one hand on Zuko's shoulder. "What did he say? What did he say to upset you so much?"

"He insulted Mother," his voice was dripping with venom.

"Sokka! Why would you say such a thing?"

Katara spoke up, "Because he saw _me_ kiss Zuko."

Everyone looked at Katara, Aang helped her stand and bring her over to Zuko, leaning on the Avatar she wrapped her arms around Zuko and spoke softly and sweetly to his. "Please, don't hurt him. He may be a moron but he's still my brother."

Zuko unleashed his hand from Sokka's neck, Sokka was writhing in pain. He had third degree burns on his neck and Katara quickly analyed the situattion. She bended water from one of the buckets to heal Sokka's neck. In a matter of minutes he was back to normal.

"I think that everyone should be informed of Zuko's relationship with his mother." Iroh said, sitting by the fire. Everyone sat around it, Sokka sitting as far from ZUko as he could. Katara leaning on Zuko for support, she held one of his hand lacing her fingers around his. Aang sat with Momo on his head, while Iroh began to explain. Telling the story of Zuko's childhood.

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Everyone was quite when Iroh had finished. Toph finally spoke. "So flame-head was disfigured by his father?"

"Yes, after my mother disappeared."

Katara was holding the prince in her arms, Momo was hiding on Aang's shoulder but picked up a peice of fruit, cleaned it off and offered it to Zuko. Zuko smiled lightly and took it.A single tear rolled down his scared cheek, Katara wiped it away.

"I miss her too, Zuko," Iroh put a hand on Zuko's shoulder. "I miss her too."

Everyone was quite, Aang was abouut to say something when he saw an butterfly land by the fire. And he decided it was best to leave it be.


	3. The Face in the Water

_Chapter 3_

_**The Face in the Water**_

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Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, hell I don't even own a car.

This chapter is dedicated to _Nightfall2525_. Thanks for the review; it made me happy and smiley and such.

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Zuko stood up, Katara looked up at him but he didn't look back at her, he was lost in his memories. Iroh knew that his nephew needed to be alone for a while, so he simply looked at Zuko and said, "Don't be gone for to long. I don't want to loose you, too." 

Saying nothing to him, Zuko grunted and walked away his shoulder bumping into Sokka's, still he said nothing, just kept walking down the dark path towards a near by lake.

"Sokka," Katara said to him, not in her normal sweet tone but in her you're-a-freaking-moron tone. "Follow him. Apologize to him or I'll have Aang do all of the cooking for the next three weeks."

As soon as he heard the threat of Aang doing the cooking he jumped up. Aang may be the master of all of elements, but he's probably the worst cook in this world and the next. Sokka began walking quietly after Zuko. He hated having to clean up his own messes. But _no,_ no one would help him out when there was an angry Prince involved.

Stalking after Zuko, Sokka thought of what to say.

"Sokka." Toph walked up behind him. He almost jumped out of his skin he was so surprised. "Count slowly backwards from one hundred after I'm fully out of your view and than start walking again."

"Alright." He knew better than to disagree with the earthbender, he had done it before and did not want to live though that again.

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Leaning over the water, Zuko thought of his mother. Of how he and his Uncle used to talk of her all the time just to keep her memory alive, but now. Now it was different, it was a subject that was touchy; the conversations of her were few and far between. 

_Flashback _

_A crying boy held by his mother were seen in the palace garden, flowers framing the entire space, a bench on one side and a fountain near the entrance, trying to calm and soothe the crying child she spoke to him softly and lovingly._

_"But Mama, what if I don't want to be a fire lord?" Hugging her son closely she smiled and nuzzled his hair with her nose._

_"You can be anything Zuko. Whatever you decided to be you will be known through out the world. You'll be a great firebender one day, the greatest of them all. And I'll be able to tell everyone I see-'That's my son.' I'll be so proud of you Zuko, I am so proud of you, you're doing so well and ;learning so fast."_

_Zuko wiggled out of his mother's arms and went to show her one of his new moves. "Look at what Uncle showed me!" Standing with his feet apart he concentrated hard, jumped and kick, shooting a tiny fire blast out of his foot._

_His mother clapped and cheered for him, reaching out to him, Zuko ran into his arms._

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A tear rolled down a scared cheek, but this time there were no loving hands to wipe it away, no one to hold him and no one to share his fears. Zuko looked down at the water, "If it wasn't for you, Mama. I would have never known how to help Katara." 

Looking deep into his reflection, the lone tear that had leaked out of his golden eyes fell on the water and he saw the reflection changing. Instead of seeing a dirty, disfigured, unloved, uncared for and banished prince, he saw the loving face of his mother smiling at him and whispering words he could not hear to him.

"Mama…I miss you. I love you so much." As the water calmed and his mother's beautiful face faded away, Zuko said to her, "Mama…Please…Don't leave me…"

Zuko at up when the water was fully still again, hugging his legs he cried softly into his knees.

"You miss her a lot don't you?" Zuko looked around to hear where the voice was coming from, and then he saw Toph walking towards him.

"Yeah." He was glad the girl was blind, so that she couldn't see his tears. "What do you want?"

"Look," Toph sat down right next to him, putting her feet in the water. "I'm blind. But being blind doesn't mean I can't see. I see through the earth, through my feet and hands. I can see the way you're sitting through the ground. I can sense you pain. I can smell your misery."

"What do you mean you can-"

"I mean that even though I can't see thing with my eyes, I know what your expression must be. You miss her a lot, and from what I heard from Iroh she was a wonderful woman." Toph took a deep breath and continued, "Sokka may be an idiot _and_ smell a little funky _and_ a moron _and_ think with only his stomach _and _be extremly thick headed _and_ not think before he speaks _and_-"

"Will there be a point to this any time soon?" Zuko snapped, he wasn't in the mood to talk, he wanted to wallow in his self-pity and depression and Toph was ruining that for him.

"The point is, he may be all those things but he understands how you feel. His mother was killed. Murdered, really-by your people. That's why he doesn't trust anyone from the Fire Nation; she was killed protecting him and Katara, she was killed the same way your mother was-by the same man."

Zuko's eyes widened, "How did you know that?"

"Did you know that you talking your sleep?" Zuko looked at her confused. "The nightmare you had last night, I heard the entire thing. Your father killed her."

"I never told anyone that-not even Uncle. Toph you're not…"

Smiling she as she smacked a bug away from her leg, the earthbender said, "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." She got up and began walking away, "I think you should tell the others though, and by others I mean Katara and Iroh."

"I will…I'm just not ready yet."

"You better get ready to soon though, cause I ain't keeping this secret forever, Sparky." Toph walked towards the woods as she passed another figure she placed a hand on the man's shoulder, "Warmed him up for ya." With that, Sokka walked towards the form sitting by the water's edge.

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Zuko heard twigs snapping and crunching coming closer, "Leave me alone. I don't want to talk." 

"Look." Sokka stood behind him, turning around and looking up Zuko saw how uncomfortable he looked. "I'm not so good at this how thing but… I'm sorry for what you said about you're mother. I just…I don't really know how to trust people from the Fire Nation. It's just hard for me because of-look, I don't need to explain myself to you. But I am sorry for what I said. I had no idea."

Zuko just nodded at him. "We better get back to camp."

"You realize that if you don't forgive me we're going to be eating bread and eggs burnt so badly that they look and taste like charcoal."

"I accept your apology only because of what Toph said." Sokka looked at Zuko confused by what he had said. "My father did the same thing to you're mother…he just had his army kill you're mother, he didn't do it himself." Sokka couldn't believe what he had said. "Let's go back to camp."

And without another word, Zuko stood up brushed himself off and began walking back towards camp. Sokka followed him silently.

Iroh looked around the fire at the two faces he saw, Katara was sitting next to Aang, his head in her lap he was sleeping, snoring softly. Toph walked back over to the fire, picked up the sleeping boy and put him on one of the mats. Iroh sat down on his, waiting quietly for Zuko's return when Katara said, "Look they're coming back!"

Two dark figures began walking towards them, neither of them saying anything, they both laid down on mats on different sides of the fire without saying a word to anyone.

Katara scooted closer to Zuko, and after a while everyone drifted off to sleep. Everyone except for Katara that is.

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Throwing more sticks into the fire to keep it going and in the process startling the sleeping man next to her. 

"Sorry," she whispered, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's alright. I could barely sleep anyway."

Leaning forward their lips touched, the man put one arm around the woman's waist pulling her body towards his. They kissed quietly but passionately.

"I'm sorry about what Sokka said…but honestly, no one knew except for Iroh and you."

"Katara, I think I need to be entirely honest with you." Zuko pulled the beauty closer to him; she placed her head in the crook of his neck, holding to his shirt she urged him to tell her. "My mother…she didn't just leave me."

"What do you mean? Iroh said she ran from your father, that it was they only way to protect you."

"Uncle doesn't know the truth…" Zuko took a deep breath and pulled the memory from the back of his mind forward. "It was almost ten years ago, my mother had been trying to convince my father not to attack the South Pole again, that they were already defenseless and held no army, we had scarred them away. He wouldn't listen to her. I walked into the room because I heard the bickering, but one of the maids pushed me out. So I went back to my room hoping that my mother would come in to tuck me in.

"I waited in bed for about half an hour, the moon was getting high into the sky and I was getting worried. That's when I heard my door open. My mother walked to my bed held my hand and told me never to forget who I am…that she loved me but she had to leave. I cried and protested."

He paused and held Katara closer; unaware that he had awoken Sokka. Sokka simply stayed quiet and listened. Katara snaked her arms around Zuko's neck, kissed him on the cheek and watched how the flames flickered in his eyes. Taking a deep breath and holding Katara closer he continued.

"I heard my father…he was yelling. Said something to my mother, I can't remember what, but my mother kissed my forehead and held me close, told me she loved me and that we would meet again one day, if I didn't see her in the morning.

"She walked out of my room and went to face my father, she said he was going to awaken the entire palace if he didn't quiet down, he slapped her and said not to tell him what to do. She said she was going to leave tomorrow and take Azula and I with her. This enraged my father, he began screaming, and I watched their shadows through the crack in my door, walked towards it to see what was going on. All I could hear was a scream, my mother's cry and I saw my father choking her and then slapping her with a flaming hand. He pushed her onto the ground.

"She wasn't afraid. She threw a bucket of water at father. This made him even more livid, he burnt her to death, throwing a long flame at her, burning her until she could no longer move, then he walked away… I went over her. I told her I loved her and that I would make sure that her memory stayed alive. Then I saw it, her necklace, it was still intact. The golden chain had scorch marks; the flames that had killed her marked the blaze pendent. I've kept it with me ever since. Keeping her alive in my heart." And sure enough Zuko took the chain he was wearing off and showed her the blaze pendant. There were markings on it. Zuko wore it around his neck but kept it safe inside his shirt.

Tears began running down Zuko's cheeks; he held the pendant to his heart and then put it back in his shirt. Katara wiped the tears away, and kissed his lips softly, he kissed her back through his tears; she cupped his cheeks rubbing his stubbly side burns with her thumbs. She pulled away from him, and laid down with Zuko on his mat, holding onto her tightly they both tried to fall back to sleep.

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Okay so that's chapter three…if you've got some suggestions write it in your review, Give me some critiques if you wish. Reviews make me happy!

And a smiley author writes better and updates faster!

Ciao for now!


	4. A Nice Swim

_Chapter 4_

_**A Nice Swim**_

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**Disclaimer:** Okay…I think I've made it pretty clear in the past three disclaimers that I don't own _Avatar: The last Airbender_. But **no** I have to continue doing these damn things because you people don't get the point! You have to increasingly depress me by making me say it repeatedly. DAMN YOU PEOPLE **I DON'T** OWN AVATAR! I'M **NOT** DOING THIS FOR MONEY! **I'M JUST WRITING FOR FUN!**

And now I'm going to go cry in the corner because now I'm very depressed.

_Note to self: Get the Paramore Cd…_

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"KATARA WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Baldy shouted as he stared at the sight before him, Katara wrapped up in Zuko's arms fast asleep underneath Zuko's blanket. 

"What? What's going on?" Katara said as she looked up from Zuko's chest, just as Momo whizzed past her head smacking Aang in the face.

"SHUT UP! I AM SLEEPING!" Grumbled Zuko, as he pulled Katara back down and snuggled with her as if she was a teddy bear.

"**WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? WHY DID MOMO JUST CRASH LAND ON AANG'S FACE? Zuko, just because you don't like mornings doesn't mean you get to ruin everyone else's mood,"** roared the Dragon of the West. He didn't seem fazed at all by Katara and Zuko curled up in each other's arms, he trusted them. His yelling woke up Toph and Sokka though, they didn't seem happy to be up right after the sun had risen. "Now, Zuko, Katara, why are you sharing a mat?"

"Because… I had a nightmare last night and he was still awake so he comforted me." Katara lied through her teeth. Iroh knew better and gave her a look, so she decided to tell something completely true, "Nothing happened we didn't _do _anything. I thanked him for listening, though it was not _that_ kind of 'thank you'."

Iroh knew that she must be telling the truth on the last part, they wouldn't do anything that unholy with everyone else so near. Zuko piped up at this, "We just found out that we _like _each other, why in the world would we jump to _that?_"

Iroh nodded solemnly, that was good enough for him, so it may as well be good enough for everyone else. And before anyone could say anything else, Iroh made it clear this conversation was over by saying, "Now! What shall we have for breakfast, hmm?"

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"Zuko, why don't you show him the first form?" Iroh said happily as he sat down next to Katara and Sokka. Zuko stood up, and began the simple form, his power and presence we incredible. Every kick and punch was down perfectly, as if he was able to do this in his sleep. Flames spewed in all directions, grunts and kiais were heard, and when Zuko finished the form everyone clapped respectfully. A light sheen of sweat covered his shirt clad chest so he took it off ((whistles, 'Take it all off!' and cat calls are heard from the readers)) as his bare, tan, muscular chest was seen. Their were scars in disarray over his body, showing that he had been brutally beaten more than once._And then Katara jumped on to Zuko, screwed him like a mad woman, had his children and everyone lived happily ever after! JUST KIDDING!_

"Think you can do that?" Zuko asked; Aang looked a bit nervous as he stood up.

"Nephew, why don't you do the form next to Aang, if he needs help you can show him." Zuko looked at Iroh trying to shoot lightning at him with only his eyes. Then he caught Katara's gaze, so he did as he was told. Iroh simply laughed at how Zuko didn't even try to wiggle his way out of this. So he began again, knowing that this was going to be a long morning.

After two hours Aang had perfected the first form. Zuko was amazed, he didn't do it with as much intensity as he had hoped but still, the boy's flames were anything but tiny.

"Good job Avatar…" Zuko said breathlessly, "We should rest now…"

Both Zuko and Aang were drenched in sweat, they smelt, they were tired, hungry and in desperate need of a bath. Zuko walked over to one of the water buckets and dumped it on his head. He shook the loose water out of his hair, "I'm going to go for a swim…"

Aang smelt one of his arm pits and said, "I think I better join you."

"A swim sounds good." Sokka said. Katara looked sadly and hopefully up at Sokka, who didn't seem to get the hint.

"Katara. Would you like to join us?" Aang offered. She nodded, Toph bended the earth beneath Katara and led he to the lake, with the boys following. "You know I could have carried her."

"This is easier and faster then you trying to carry her." Toph said. "Normally I'd make Sokka or Zuko do it but Zuko is to tried and Sokka will most likely whine the entire way."

"I hate my ankles…" Katara muttered as they finally reached the lake, she hated being such a burden. Katara took off her ankle wrappings as everyone else shed some of they're clothes and shoes(except for Toph who wasn't wearing any). Zuko picked Katara up after she had shed her dress, now wearing her blue shorts and undershirt as a bathing suit.

He whispered softly into her ear, "It gives me an excuse to embrace you, so I don't mind." She smiled at Zuko as he walked into the lake with her in his arms. When he was chest deep in the water, he let Katara's legs go, he shifted her body weight to his hip, holding her up with one arm and running his free hand on her thigh. Her arms were around his neck when she kissed his lips softly. Zuko kissed her back before she put her head on his shoulder and let her long dark locks begin to get wet. She kissed the scars on his neck softly as he absently held her closer.

Sokka did a cannonball off a rock and landed next to Katara and Zuko and completely soaked them with cool water. Zuko didn't mind so much that he got wetter than he already was as he minded getting water up his nose and having the romantic moment he was having with Katara get ruined. Katara giggled a bit as Zuko struggled with coughing up the water that was settling in his lungs.

"Umm…" Sokka said trying to be innocent, "Opps?"

Katara bent the water around her brother and turned it into ice, freezing her brother and leaving him there. Sokka began to shiver and his lips turned blue,_ Serves him right for hurting my Zuko…Wait did I just think __**my**__ Zuko?_ Katara seemed lost in her thoughts as her brother struggled with getting free, Aang noticed that it looked like Sokka was going to be stuck in this predicament for awhile, so he bended the water back into it's liquid form.

"Thanks Aang."

"No problem!" Aang said cheerfully as he dove deeper into the water playing with the fishes and frogs. Toph made her way waist deep into the water away from everyone and began washing her body of some of the dirt. Iroh was happily swimming in his own little cavern leaving the teens to have they're fun as he relaxed and washed his body ((great image, huh?))

* * *

"So how was everyone's food?" Katara asked as she washed her hands. 

"Great."

"It was good."

"Wonderful, Katara."

"YUMMY!" Aang offered as he chomped on a piece of fruit.

* * *

"I heard you talking to Katara last night." Sokka and Zuko were the last ones awake; Katara's head was laying on Zuko's lap as she snored softly. Iroh rolled over on his mat trying to find a comfortable spot, the two boys watched him quickly fall back to sleep. Aang was snoring loudly and Toph was sprawled out on her mat as she drooled in her slumber. 

"You were ease dropping on us." Zuko spat, clearly and understandably upset. He didn't want everyone to know what happened; hell, _he_ didn't want to know what happened to his beloved mother.

"I couldn't sleep. It's not my fault-I tried to tune you to out…" Sokka looked up at Zuko, "You need to tell Iroh. He has a right to know what happened. She was his sister-in-law, from the way he was speaking of her the other day, she meant a lot to him."

"Drop it! It's not Uncle's burden to bare." He could talk to Katara about it; he just couldn't bring himself to tell Uncle. Stroking the beauty laying in his lap, Zuko spoke again, "I wouldn't know how to tell him either. Why should he know? Why should he know what I saw?"

"Because he cares about you, because he loves you more than your father ever did, because if he had seen that he would have told you." Aang offered. Apparently baldy was actually just pretending to be asleep.

"There are three reasons why." Sokka pointed out.

"He's another," Toph said, apparently Sokka and Zuko didn't exactly have the quite conversation that they thought they were having. "Maybe you won't have so many nightmares if you tell him. And it would make Sugar Queen happy."

"I will tell him…eventually." Zuko looked down at the sleeping girl he held, smiling softly he whispered to her, "Good night, my love..."

* * *

Well there's another chapter. If anyone has some suggestions then I would be more than happy to incorporate them into the story.

Ciao for now!


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